Contending for the Dupaco Cowbell Cup
More Games to Settle the Rivalry this Season
Cedar Rapids, Iowa–Saturday night when the Dubuque Fighting Saints visit the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, it will be the first of 36 games which will determine which Iowa team takes home the 2026/27 Dupaco Cowbell Cup.
This year, every head-to-head matchup involving the Des Moines Buccaneers, the Waterloo Black Hawks, the RoughRiders, and the Fighting Saints will count toward the Dupaco Cowbell Cup standings. The series will run through the final night of the regular season when Waterloo hosts Des Moines on April 3rd.
"The Dupaco Cowbell Cup has become a fun tradition that brings Iowa hockey fans and communities together," said Tara McDermott, Senior Marketing & Communication Specialist at Dupaco. "We're proud to continue supporting this series and the teams, players, and fans who make it such a special part of the hockey season. We look forward to another exciting year of competition."
Each year since 2015, Dupaco Community Credit Union has presented the Cowbell Cup to the team celebrating the strongest results in the geographic rivalry. The Dubuque Fighting Saints claimed the trophy during the 2025/26 season.
Hockey fans in each market will have the chance to score a "hat trick" of sorts during the Dupaco Cowbell Cup series this year. Each team will give away hundreds of Dupaco Cowbell Cup hats on one promotional night during their respective home schedules. [Local Promo info]. In addition, dozens of Dupaco Cowbell Cup t-shirts will be tossed into the crowd at each rink throughout the course of the winter. Fans may have opportunities to snag other promotional items when they attend games during the series.
"We're grateful for Dupaco's continued partnership with the RoughRiders and their support of the Cowbell Cup," said RoughRiders General Manager and Head Coach Mark Carlson. "Our players and fans look forward to these rivalry games. Dupaco's support makes the series special, and we're looking forward to another season of Dupaco Cowbell Cup hockey."
In order to make every game count with an unbalanced schedule, standings for the four teams will be computed based on a new formula. The percentage of possible points earned from each head-to-head series will be averaged equally to create a modified winning percentage (MWP). For example, through Thanksgiving the Black Hawks will play six Dupaco Cowbell Cup games worth two points apiece. If the Hawks earn one of two points against Cedar Rapids (.500), one of four points versus Des Moines (.250), and five of six points versus Dubuque (.833), the average of those three percentages yields a .527 MWP.
Standings for the Dupaco Cowbell Cup will be updated on each team's website and also displayed on a dedicated standings board in each arena.
The full 2026/27 Dupaco Cowbell Cup composite schedule follows:
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September 26
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Dubuque at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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October 2
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Dubuque at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m
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October 3
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Cedar Rapids at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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October 16
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Waterloo at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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7:05 p.m.
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October 17
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Des Moines at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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October 31
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Dubuque at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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3:05 p.m.
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November 1
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Waterloo at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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5:05 p.m.
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November 13
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Dubuque at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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7:05 p.m.
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November 14
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Des Moines at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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November 26
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Cedar Rapids at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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November 28
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Waterloo at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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December 4
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Cedar Rapids at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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7 :05 p.m.
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December 5
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Des Moines at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7 :05 p.m.
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December 15
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Cedar Rapids at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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7:05 p.m.
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December 18
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Cedar Rapids at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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December 19
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Dubuque at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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December 29
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Des Moines at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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December 31
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Des Moines at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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6:05 p.m.
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January 8
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Waterloo at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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January 9
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Dubuque at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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January 17
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Waterloo at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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3:05 p.m.
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January 30
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Cedar Rapids at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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February 5
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Des Moines at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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February 6
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Des Moines at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7 :05 p.m.
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February 9
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Dubuque at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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February 12
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Cedar Rapids at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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Waterloo at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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7:05 p.m.
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February 13
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Dubuque at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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6:35 p.m.
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Waterloo at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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February 26
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Cedar Rapids at Dubuque
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ImOn Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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February 27
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Cedar Rapids at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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March 5
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Dubuque at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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Waterloo at Des Moines
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MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
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7:05 p.m.
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March 6
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Waterloo at Cedar Rapids
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ImOn Ice Arena
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7:05 p.m.
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March 30
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Des Moines at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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April 3
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Des Moines at Waterloo
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Young Arena
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6:35 p.m.
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Get your tickets for the RoughRiders games now: tickets.roughridershockey.com
About Dupaco
Dupaco Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa. It is dedicated to the financial well-being of its members, and specializes in personalized financial counseling, money advice and education. It offers savings, loans, investments, insurance and wealth management products for individuals and businesses. Dupaco serves residents in 118 counties throughout Iowa, northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Founded in 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, membership has grown to more than 180,000 with assets exceeding $3.6 billion. It has over 600 employees and 22 branch office locations. Learn more at www.dupaco.com.
